John Bagot (-bef1351)
}} ''Collections for a History of Staffordshire, Volume 11'' "it has been shown that John, the son of the last John Bagot, was a minor at the date of his father's death in 1334. He must have been of age, however, in the following year, when Richard de Mefford, the Rector of Blore, conveyed to him, under the name of John, son of John Bagot of Bromley Bagot, and to Eglena, his wife, and the heirs of their bodies, the manor of Bromley Bagot. Richard was of course a feoffee put in for 'uses', and the object of the deed was to give a life interest in the manor to Eglena. According to a memorandum in HarJ. MS. 2044 in the British Museum Eglena was a daughter and co-heir of Sir Anketill Mallory of Kirby Mallory, co. Leicester. Come proceedings of Banco of 11 E. III. (1337) point to a connection between the Chetwynds and Bagots. At Trinity term of that year Isabella, the widow of William de Chetwynd, sued Geoffrey Biron, for a third of certain lands and tenements in Biddulph, which she claimed as dower, and Geoffrey called upon John Bagot, Kt. to warrant the lands to him, and the latter was summoned for the following term. John Bagot never appeared to his summons, and after three defaults of appearance a verdict was delivered in favour of Isabella, and Geoffrey Biron was to be compensated by John Bagot. Geoffrey therefore had been originally enfeoffed in the tenements by Sir John Bagot, and the latter must have been enfeoffed by William de Chetewynd, as otherwise Isabella could have had no claim to dower in the lands. By a deed, No. 65 in the Appendix, dated 19 E. III. Sir John Bagot granted to Magister John de Tittensor and alice his wife, his portion of the manor of Hertwall in Barlaston, which had descended to him after the death of William de Chetwynd. A suit in Banco of Easter term 15 E. III. (1341) shows that Geoffrey Biron, at this date, was the representative of one branch of the Biddulphs. A suit in Banco of Trinity term 12 E. III. accounts for the frequent presence of the Wasteneys family in the Blithfield deeds. It appears by this suit that the Bagots had enfeoffed a younger branch of the Wasteneys in a freehold in Colton, which was part of the fee of Wasteneys of Tixall. Sir John Bagot, as mesne tenant, was sued by Sir Malcolm Wastneys of Tixall, the superior lord, for the service due from the tenancy. In 1343 Sir John Bagot took up warmly the cause of the Chetwynds of Ingestre when they quarrelled with their neighbours the Wasteneys of Tixall. In that year a special commission of Oyer and Terminer was issued, on the complaint of Sir Malcolm Wasteneys, that John Bagot, Chivaler, Ralph Bagot, Ralph de Chetwynde, Alice, late wife of Philip de Chetwynde, Adam de Chetwynde, William de Verney of Bromsulf (Bramshall), Richard le Spencer of Bromley, Edmund Bagot, Nicholas de Hayteley, and many others named, had broken into his mill at Tixhall, destroyed the stank (the mill pool) and carried away the timbers of the mill. Leaving for a time his private squabbles and passing to his public services, he appears to have been present at the great victory over the Scots at Halidoun Hill in 1333. In that year the King, with a view of supporting the claim of Edward Bailliol to the crown of Scotland, had laid siege to Berwick. The Scots for the purpose of raising the siege, attacked Edward III., posted on a strong position on Halidoun Hill, and suffered the mist disastrous defeat in their history. Letters of protection were issued to Sir John Bagot whilst in the King's service in Scotland, dated from Tweedmouth, the 24th of May in this year. The battle was fought on the 19th of July, and Berwick surrendered the following day. The King assembled another army for the invasion of Scotland in 1336. Sir John Bagot served in this expedition in retinue of Ralph, Lord Stafford, and the letters of protection dated from Berwick, the 28th of October, to last till the following February. These letters were subsequently extended by new writs to last till the 24th of June, 1337. In 1344 Sir John Bagot was appointed one of the Justices of the Peace for Staffordshire. At this date the Justices were appointed annually and seldom extended five or six in number. Those appointed in 1344 were John Trussel of Cublesdon, John Bagot of Bromley, John de Aston, John de la Lee and John de Ipstones. In 1345, John de Sutton, the Baron of Dudley, and Thomas de Halughton (Haughton) was substituted for John Trussel and John de Aston. During the King's wars in Scotland the French had lent repeated succours to the Scots, and Edward now retaliated by laying claim to the French Crown. In 1346 he invaded France with considerable force, and on the 26th of August of that year was fought the battle of Crecy. On the 1st September Calais was invested and after a blockage extending all through the winter and the following summer it was subdued by famine on the 4th August, 1347. The Records show that Sir John Bagot was at Porchester in the retinue of William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon, shortly before the sailing of the expedition. In the same retinue occurs the name of Sir Henry de Brailesford, a Derbyshire knight, of large estate, who had been summoned as a Banneret. The hardships of the army, encamped on the open marshes round Calais during the winter of 1346-47, had been the cause of great sickness in the army, and the Records contain divers writs granting permission to knights and others to proceed to England on account of grievous illness. One of these, dated by the Custos of the Kingdom from Windsor on the 28th November, 1346, directs the Sheriff of co. Stafford not to molest Sir John Bagot, who had gone to England with the King's permission from Calais, in charge of Sir Henry de Braillesford, a Banneret of the retinue of William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon, was in an infirm state of health. The writ states further that Sir John Bagot had served with Sir Henry in the retinue of the Earl of Huntingdon, and the said John was to await the arrival of the Earl in England, and to return to Calais with him. It appears, from other writs on the same Roll, that the Earl had proceeded to England to collect reinforcements of men-at-arms and archers. On his return to Calais, Sir John must have joined the retinue of his liege lord, Ralph, the Baron of Stafford, for a writ on the French Roll of the following year (1347) states that John Bagot, who was abroad in the King's service, in the retinue of Ralph the Baron of Stafford, had letters of attorney, dated 20 March, 1347. After reading the foregoing, it is not a little puzzling to find the following entry in the Memoranda Roll of the Exchequer of 22 E. III. (1348). 'Sir James de Pype, Sir John de Stafford, Sir John Bagot, Sir William de Hondesacre, Sir Robert Mauveisin, Sir Malculine de Wasteneys, William Bowles, Griffen de la Pole, and Walter de Stafford, who had embarked in the retinue of Sir Ralph de Stafford, and had served in it until the return of Ralph to England, were to be exonerated from the assessment on their lands for men-at-arms and archers." The explanation of this difficulty seems to be, that the terms of the above writ were general, and whilst they might apply to the other persons named, contain an inaccuracy in the case of Sir John Bagot. There is no trace of a second Sir John Bagot on the Records of this period. On his return to England on the conclusion of the war in 1347, Sir John was elected one of the members for Staffordshire, and he was elected again for the Parliament of 1348. His collegue on both occasions was Simon de Ruggeleye. His latest appearance is as a witness to a Blithfield deed dated on the Monday after the Feast of St. John Ante Pertam Lateranam, 23 E. III. This would be the 10th May, 1349. Deed No. 66 in the Appendix shows he was dead on the 25th July, 1350 (the date of the deed), for it is a grant by Egelina, late wife of John Bagot, Kt. At this date he was in the prime of life, being only 35 years of age, and he was doubtless one of the many victoms of the Great Pestilence of 1349-50." Staffordshire